Beach erosion is a very serious problem. Every year miles of valuable beach property are washed away, and millions of dollars are spent rebuilding beaches. In addition to simply rebuilding the beaches, millions of dollars have been spent to construct seawalls, or the like, in an attempt to prevent erosion. Most seawalls, however, are "hard" structures in that they are permanent and cannot be taken down during calm periods. These hard structures are not desirable and in some locations are not permitted.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,182,459 and 3,218,810 (Grether et al.) show a synthetic levee that may be erected to provide, for example, a rice paddy. The levee is formed by a wall of flexible material having one end buried in the earth and a top edge supported by a wire strung between fixed posts. U.S. Pat. No. 3,564,853 (Csiszar) teaches a method for controlling erosion by securing flexible screens to the bottom of the ocean. The screens are placed at a substantial distance from the shore and trap sand to create sand bars to dissipate the force of the waves. U.S. Pat. No. 4,490,071 (Morrisroe) teaches a plurality of flexible "fingers" on the bottom of the shoreline to simulate seaweed. The fingers accrete sand to prevent erosion. U.S. Pat. No. 4,647,250 (Howard) teaches a flexible dam which is secured to the floor of a river at one end and to a ship at an opposite end.